How to Pay

Page Content

Applications for Visa and Citizenship can be lodged online through
ImmiAccount. You will be able to make the payment online as you lodge the application. This will ensure that your application and payment is received by us in a timely manner. We also have Service Delivery Partners in place outside Australia who can accept application forms and payments.

Applications that cannot be lodged online, can now be pre-paid through the 'Manage Payments' section to ImmiAccount. Record your receipt number and attach a copy of your receipt when lodging the application.

Payment surcharges

If you pay for your visa application charges or citizenship, sponsorship or nomination fees by card or by an online payment, a surcharge may apply.

The surcharge is a percentage of the amount being paid, and varies depending on the payment method used. The surcharge will be calculated at the time of making your payment. You will be asked to confirm the total before you finalise your payment.

The current surcharge rates are:

Payment method

Surcharge

Visa and MasterCard (This surcharge also applies to payments by Debit Visa or Debit MasterCard)

0.98%

American Express and JCB

1.40%

Diners Club

1.99%

​China UnionPay

​1.90%

​PayPal

​1.00%

When paying in Australian dollars you might incur banking and currency conversion fees and you will need to accept the costs associated with any currency fluctuations.

Contact your bank to avoid a declined payment

Payments made online to the Department will appear as an Australian dollar (AUD) transaction paid to an Australian organisation.

Before you submit your application, you might need to ask your bank to approve a payment to the Department. Systems at your bank or regulations in your country might decline a genuine payment because:

the Department is outside of your country

the payment is unusual compared to your spending pattern

you do not have sufficient funds to cover the application charges

your country limits the amount that can be paid from your account and the application charge is greater than that limit.

If you contact your bank before you pay, the bank should be able to allow the payment. Failure to do so might result in your payment being declined. Without payment, your application is invalid.

Paying for applications submitted online

Payments for applications lodged online through
ImmiAccount are made as the final step of the application being lodged. You cannot pre-pay through ImmiAccount for an application lodged online.

Acceptable payment methods are:

MasterCard (including Debit MasterCard)

VISA (includingVISA DebitCard)

American Express

Diners Club

JCB

China UnionPay

pre-paid credit cards

PayPal

BPAY

All online payments are charged in Australian dollars. When paying in Australian dollars you might incur banking and currency conversion fees and you will need to accept the costs associated with any currency fluctuations.

A surcharge can apply to transactions made usinga credit cardor PayPal.

Paying for paper applications submitted in Australia

If you cannot apply online, AND your paper application form is being sent to an office
located in Australia, then the preferred payment method is to pay online using
ImmiAccount.

You can pay online for paper applications using the
Pre-pay Paper Service option within the
Manage Payments section in
ImmiAccount. Include a copy of the receipt and write the receipt number onyour application when it is lodged with the Department.

A surcharge can apply to transactions made using a credit cardor PayPal.

Paying for paper applications submitted outside Australia

If you cannot apply online, AND your paper application form is being sent to an Australian Government Office or Service Delivery Partner
located outside Australia, refer to the
local office website for acceptable payment methods and locations.

Payment in foreign currency

Acceptable payment methods for payment in foreign currencies depend on the
office where the application is being lodged. Check with the website of the Office or Service Delivery Partner before sending payment.

Foreign currency exchange rates used for application charges

The Department sets foreign currency rates for six months on 1 January and 1 July each year. These exchange rates apply to all applications received on and after the day the exchange rate is changed. As exchange rates can go up or down, so the cost of an application in a foreign currency can increase or decrease.

Credit Card​​​​

Applications can be paid by credit card. Credit card transactions are processed in Australian dollars in Australia.​​​​​ We accept MasterCard, Visa, AMEX, Diners, JCB and China UnionPay.

When paying by a credit card you can incur a credit card surcharge, banking and currency conversion fees and you will need to accept the risk associated with any currency fluctuations.​​​​​

PayPal

Online applications can be paid by PayPal. Payments using PayPal will be processed in Australian dollars.

If you pay for your application by PayPal, a surcharge will apply. The current surcharge rate for PayPal is 1%.

PayPal allows payment types that might not be available in Australia to be linked to your PayPal account.

For information on how to use PayPal and what cards and accounts can be linked, visit the
PayPal website in your country.

BPAY

BPAY is a secure payment service that allows funds transfers between Australian bank accounts. Online applications can be paid by BPAY. BPAY is also an acceptable payment method for invoices for the second instalment of the Visa Application Charge (2nd VAC) or Securities (Bonds).

To use BPAY you must:

have an Australian bank account, and;

be registered with the bank's telephone or internet banking service.

BPAY payments will take up to 1 day to be matched to an application. Your application will not be submitted until the BPAY payment is matched to your application.

Your BPAY payment must be paid within 3 days of submitting your application. If your payment is not received within 3 days, your application might not be accepted.

Payment by BPAY is not recommended if:

​your current visa will cease within the next 3 days

a visa application requirement will expire within the next 3 days

you are applying for a Bridging Visaand travelling within the next 7 days on a Bridging Visa.

BPAY is not available if you select a group of online applications for payment. Select a single application to pay by BPAY.

Paying a visa invoice, Security or Bond

The Department may send you an invoice in order to make a payment for a second Visa Application Charge, security or bond payment. The payment options available to you will be detailed on that invoice.

You can pay for your second Visa Application Charge online using the Pay an Invoice option in
ImmiAccount.

Where possible, complete the form electronically to avoid issues with legibility. If you are not completing the form electronically, you will need to write neatly in block letters. If we cannot read your form, it will not be processed and will be returned to you.